We are all familiar with Darwin’s scientific theory of evolution; however, winemakers have their own viticultural theory of evolution. We recently became familiar with Jim Law’s theory of evolution at a recent tasting event at Linden fitfully called, “Evolution.”
Jim Law’s reputation as the pioneer of excellent winemaking in Virginia is well known. Law bottled his first vintage in 1987, and this included a Cabernet Sauvignon that was tasted at the event. He described this vintage and those of the 1990s as years of understanding vineyard management with a struggle to achieve high expectations. The primary expectation was that wines expressed the terroir, or sense of place, while presenting a balance of acidity and alcohol. Jim’s trip to Bordeaux vineyards in the early 2000s was described by him as the time when the “light bulb went off”, and it was then that Law, already considered an accomplished winemaker, took his own evolution as a winemaker to a different direction. Under the direction of vineyard managers in Bordeaux, a re-evaluation of vineyard management at Linden Vineyards Hardscrabble site took place. This included both red and white wine varietals especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Vines that were not appropriately placed and thus presented ripening challenges were ripped up, and new vines were planted to take advantage of the site’s unique terroir and micro-climate. The transition year was the 2007 vintage, and it was the 2007 Hardscrabble Red that was included in the session’s tasting.
It was by tasting through
This Article was originally published on Virginia Wine Time
